Vowel Sounds PDF

VOWEL SOUNDS

VOWEL SOUNDS

All speech sounds can be described

articulatorily, auditorily and acoustically. In

the case of vowel sounds an articulatory

description would tell us which part of our

tongue to raise and how high to raise it.

However, vowel sounds are generally learnt

auditorily, by listening and imitation.

DESCRIPTION OF VOWEL SOUNDS

Vowel sounds are produced in most cases

without any kind of contact between the

articulators. They can be made different from

each other mainly by raising a certain part of

the tongue to different levels, by modifying the

shape of the lips and by raising or lowering the

velum. Variations of this kind produced by

changing the shape of the mouth resonator are

referred to as differences in vowel QUALITY.

SOME SHARED CHARACTERISTICS

The vowel sounds of English and Spanish

have two characteristics in common:

They are normally voiced sounds.

They are usually oral sounds.

THE CARDINAL VOWELS

The system was introduced by Daniel Jones.

It does not belong to any particular language, but

they can be used as reference points.

It is based on two articulatorily selected vowel

sounds. The first is produced by raising the tongue

as close as possible to the palate without causing

friction. [i] (Cardinal Vowel number 1) The second

is produced by placing the tongue as low and as far

back as possible [A] (Cardinal vowel number 5)

CARDINAL VOWELS

It is possible to produce sounds between

these two points [e] (Cardinal Vowel

number 2) [E] (Cardinal Vowel number 3)

and [a] (Cardinal Vowel number 4). These

vowels are produced at auditorily

equidistant point between [i] and [A] by

gradually lowering the front of the tongue.

CARDINAL VOWELS

Cardinal Vowels 6, 7 and 8 [O,o,u] respectively, are produced at auditorily

equidistant points between [A] and [i] by

gradually raising the back of the tongue.

CARDINAL VOWEL SOUNDS

CLASSIFICATION OF VOWEL SOUNDS

The classification labels for the articulation

of vowel sounds may be placed on two axes

– a horizontal one indicating the part of the

tongue which is raised, and a vertical one

indicating height to which the tongue is

raised.

Primary Cardinal Vowels

http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAl

ab.htm

http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm

http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm

SPANISH VOWELS

ENGLISH VOWELS

CLASSIFICATION OF VOWEL SOUNDS

RP English Vowels can be divided,

articulatorily,according to the following

criteria:

Location

Height

Length

Lip posture

QUALITY AND QUANTITY

LOCATION FRONT: When the highest point of the tongue lies below

the hard palate. ( /i: e / ) RETRACTED: Occupying intermediate positions between

front and central .( /I/ ) BACK: When the highest point of the tongue lies below the

soft palate. ( /A: Q O: u: / ) ADVANCED: Occupying intermediate positions between

central and back. ( /U/ ) CENTRAL: When the highest point of the tongue lies in an

intermediate position at the junction of the hard and soft palates. ( /V 3: @/ )

HEIGHT

CLOSE: When the highest point of the tongue is close to the

roof of the mouth.

OPEN: When there is a considerable distance between the

highest point of the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

MID: When the highest point of the tonge is midway between

close and open.

CLOSE-MID

OPEN-MID

MID

LENGTH

Depending on the phonetic environment the relatively long

vowels have several degrees of length. However, we normally

distinguish between:

(RELATIVELY) LONG: (all the diphthongs plus

/i: A: O: u: 3:/ )

SHORT: ( /I e Q U V @ / )

LIP POSTURE

ROUNDED: /O: u: / SLIGHTLY ROUNDED: /Q U/ UNROUNDED: /i: i e A: V 3: @/

THE RP PURE VOWELS

ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS

/i:/ Vowel sound number 1

Front, between

close and close-

mid, relatively

long, unrounded.

COMMON SPELLINGS

EE

E

EA

I

IE

EI

EY

SEED

THESE

BEAT

MACHINE

FIELD

RECEIVE

KEY


/I/ Vowel sound number 2

Retracted,

close-mid, short,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING

I

E

Y

A

FILM

PRETTY

RHYTHM

VILLAGE


/e/ Vowel sound number 3

Front, mid,

short,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING

E

EA

A

BED

HEAD

MANY


// Vowel sound number 4

Front, between

open-mid and

open, normally

short,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELING

A HAND


/A:/ Vowel sound number 5

Back, open,

realtively long,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING

AR

EAR

ER

A

AL

AU

FAR

HEART

CLERK

LAST

CALM

AUNT


/Q/ Vowel sound number 6

Back, open,

short, slightly

rounded.

COMMON SPELLING

O

A

OW / OU

AU

DOG

SWAN

KNOWLEDGE /COUGH

BECAUSE


/O:/ Vowel sound number 7

Back, mid,

relatively long,

rounded.

COMMON SPELLING

AR / OR / ORE

OUR

OAR / OOR

AU(GH)

A(L)

AW

OU

OA

URE

WAR / HORSE / MORE

COURT

BOARD / FLOOR

TAUGHT

SALT

SAW

BOUGHT

BROAD

SURE


/U/ Vowel sound number 8

Advanced, close-

mid, short,

slightly rounded.

COMMON SPELLING

U

OO

O

OU

BUTCHER

BOOK

WOMAN

COULD


/u:/ Vowel sound number 9

Back, between

close and close-

mid, relatively

long, rounded.

COMMON SPELLING

U

OO

O

OU

EW

UE / UI / OE

June

FOOD

WHO

GROUP

SEW

BLUE / JUICE / SHOE


/V/ Vowel sound number 10

Central, between

open-mid and

open, short,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING

U

O

OU

OO

OE

CUT

SON

COUNTRY

BLOOD / FLOOD

DOES


/3:/ Vowel Sound number 11

Mid, central,

relatively long,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING

ER / ERR

UR / URR

IR / IRR

YR / YRR

W+OR

EAR

OUR

SERVE / ERR

TURN / PURR

SIR

MYRTLE / MYRRH

WORLD

EARTH

JOURNEY


/@/ Vowel sound number 12

Mid, central, short,

unrounded.

COMMON SPELLING A

O

E

ER / RE

I

U

AR / OR /OUR / URE

OU

WOMAN

OBLIGE

GENTLEMAN

MOTHER / CENTRE

POSSIBLE

SUPPOSE

PARTICULAR / DOCTOR / COLOUR / FIGURE

FAMOUS

PURE VOWELS V/S DIPHTHONGS

PURE VOWELS: unchanging.

DIPHTHONGS: have a considerable and deliberate glide.

DIPHTHONGS

Diphthongs are sounds that consist of a movement or glide from one vowel to another. A vowel which remains constant and does not glide is called a pure vowel.

Concerning length, diphthongs are like long vowels.

It’ is important to remember that the first part of the diphthong is much longer and stronger than the second part.

DIPHTHONGS: Classification

CENTRING DIPHTHONGS

CLOSING DIPHTHONGS

They all end with a glide towards a closer vowel.

Because the second part of the diphthong is weak,

they often do not reach a position that could be

called close. The important thing is that a glide from

a relatively more open towards a relatively more

close vowel is produced.

Three of the diphthong glide towards the /I/ the

other two glide towards /U/ so that as the tongue

moves closer to the roof of the mouth there is at the

same time a rounding movement of the lips.

CLOSING DIPHTHONGS

THRIPHTONGS A third vocalic element can be added to all diphthongs, except the

centring ones.

The resulting sequence, however, is prononuced fully only ocassionally.

SMOOTHING: When the diphthongs /eI aI aU @U/ are immediately followed by /@/ the end target of the diphthong is left out. Then:

/eI@/ /e@/ /aI@/ /a@/ /aU@/ /a@/ /@U@/ /3:/

Documents

Vowel Sounds PDF